Heal a Broken Heart
by AspiringWriterGirl
Summary: Five years after the Invasion, Beast Boy has been sent on a mission to protect a new super - a girl his own age whom he cannot stand, it's not easy being forced to go on the run with a girl you can't stand!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the existing characters that we know and love of Young Justice, although I do take ownership over the new characters i.e. some of the teammates

 **Chapter 01**

"Right Garfield – I've got your mission briefing. Miss Martian and Nightwing believe that you were the best person to undertake it." Black Canary cheekily winked at the eighteen year old. "Don't worry, you'll have some support along the way. We thought it would be perfect mission practice for Kitty and advanced training for Raven."

Beast Boy couldn't help but internally wince at the thought of working with Raven on this mission. She had joined the Justice Team about two years ago, and had become a useful asset to the team due to her impressive abilities. The pair had grown close, even caving into the pressure from their fellow teammates to just go on a date. A real world date. Something of which was a difficult concept for the daughter of Satan and the boy with green skin, but the pair hit it off and dated for just over a year. It was fine, until the opportunity for Beast Boy to progress and develop his own sub-team arose, meaning he had less and less time for their relationship. So Raven grew angry and tired, thus calling it quits.

Everything was just a little bit awkward. A little too awkward for everyone else.

"B-B, are you following?" Black Canary was now standing firmly with her arms tightly folded. "This is a serious matter and I am going to need your fullest attention, are you one hundred per cent sure that you are capable of this?"

He hadn't even realised that the thought of working with Raven again had completely distracted him, making him stare blankly at the projections in front of him. Shaking his head to snap himself out of the confusion, Beast Boy then nodded.

"Yeah, of course I am – you know I am…"

"Say it with a little more conviction next time," Black Canary muttered, walking away from the briefing.

Beast Boy had just closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh when he had the fright of his life.

Standing to his left was Kitty. It's not her real name… Kitty was adopted into the Justice League about four years ago when her parents went missing. Her hero name was Kitty because she was an animagus – similar to Beast Boy but only one animal, a cat. She stared at the older boy from behind a cat eye mask with big round eyes that shone like the colour of vibrant fields. Her hair was straight and brown – rumours went around the Hall that she would wake up at the crack of dawn to straighten her hair.

"Kitty, why'd you always have to sneak up on me like that?" Beast Boy growled. "It's bad enough when Miss Martian camouflages, and now you're Kitty Softpaws- will I ever get a break here?" He ran his hand through his slightly tousled dark green hair before standing up.

Kitty grabbed onto his arm, gently digging her fingernails into the red and white superhero suit Beast Boy was wearing. "Are you excited that we get to go on a mission together?" she asked, beaming up at the older boy.

Worried that he might say the wrong thing, Garfield shifted into a snake and slithered his way along the way, swaying from side to side. He didn't mind that he was going on a mission with Kitty, but having both Raven and Kitty together was going to cause issues. He snaked his way down the corridors, until he heard voices that belonged to a pair of heroes he would want to keep close.

It was in the armoury that Beast Boy found Nightwing and Starfire compiling a few cases of gadgets and surveillance equipment.

"Hey Nightwing, what have you got for me?" Beast Boy reached out to pick up a small ping pong ball that had a misty and pink colour to it, but Starfire slapped his hand gently. "Hey! Oh come on Starfire, I know what it is!"

Starfire flicked her hair back behind her shoulder and folded her arms. "Oh really, well what is it then?"

 _Oh crap…_ Beast Boy felt his facial muscles twitched uncontrollably as he noticed Nightwing smirk. "It's… uh, well clearly it's just a small knock out gas ball."

She inhaled sharply, then rolled her eyes. "Lucky guess…" She walked towards the door. "Don't forget to tell Beast Boy about the mission, Nightwing, but don't bail him out like last time. Yeah, I know about that…" As Starfire turned and continued on her way, neither boy could tear their eyes away from her slender body.

Nightwing clapped the back of Beast Boy's head with his hand. "Put your tongue back in your mouth, BB, or Raven will put it further back into your throat… and you know she has the power to do so."

"You're right, Nightwing, I can…" Raven appeared beside Nightwing, the hood of her cloak was down for once. "I see Static's developed a muscle freeze mechanism. Blue Beetle will be glad to not have to be the guinea pig for the prototypes."

Across the room, Raven's eyes met Beast Boy's. There was a moment where she wasn't sure what to do, but she turned away to focus on the smaller, handheld gizmos and gadgets. It was clear that there was an icy feeling in the air, and not just because of the dying romance between the younger heroes. Raven didn't have a good opinion of Nightwing- more so because she felt that Zatanna had tried to influence his decision on allowing Raven as a part of the Justice Team.

"Beast Boy!" Kitty squealed, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tightly. "You left without me, why would you do that?"

Beast Boy backed away from the teenage girl, looking to his fellow heroes for support, but they were offering none. He enjoyed having a younger hero idolise and look up to him, but Kitty had a habit of being clingy and not knowing when to knock it off. There was no way he could shoot her down like he wanted to – at least not whilst Raven was still in their presence. Even though she would have done the same, she was bound to say he was wrong for doing it if he did.

"So, errr… Nightwing, are we going in undercover or?" Beast Boy smiled, forced Kitty off of him. "It might be pretty cool to test out some new undercover names- see which ones stick I mean."

Nightwing stifled any form of laughter and narrowed his eyes at the other guy. "No, you're just going to be Rachel, Georgie and Garfield – and then your hero names if it's required… Me and Kor- I mean, Starfire will be keeping everything under control-" He stopped talking. "Garfield, you need to read your mission briefing file. Star's right this time, I'm not going to bail you out and fill you in because you can't be bothered to read it. If you want to be a leader someday, you have to take responsibility. This will be a good test to see if you are really ready and serious about this." Nightwing sealed up the last case and stayed hunched over it. "Miss Martian will be taking us to location via the Bio ship so you better be ready to go when she needs us to go- she aims to leave at dusk, understood?" He stood straight immediately before walking out the room.

Beast Boy groaned an approval before disappearing out the door and up to his own little apartment that he had persuaded Nightwing to let him develop and furnish in the base. It was a home away from home ever since he lost his family. There was a photo of him and his mother back at their home, but he never really liked how it was the last one of them together – before he turned into Beast Boy and before she died… Grabbing a bag out the wardrobe, Beast Boy set about filling it with a variety of different items – some of which would be useful, and others which wouldn't be, but he felt the need to take it with them.

On the bio-ship, Kitty was scanning the land below whilst strapped into the chair. The seatbelt itself was beginning to dig into her chest and collar bone, making her fidget and writhe about in the seat. It would have been so easy to just morph into a cat and relax. But it had been drilled into Miss Georgia "Kitty" O'Connor so many times by Miss Martian to not unfasten yourself from the seat – because you never know when you might accidentally get yourself into a spot of bother and require some evasive manoeuvres.

"Um, Kitty – are you, okay?" Starfire asked, smiling across at the youngest member on board the bio-ship, her green eyes shining and empty from the black pupils most people had.

Kitty shook her head and itched at the strap. "I'll be okay..."

Outside the bio-ship, they were flying over the highways and settlements. It was Kitty's first time flying and it was exhilarating once she got past the itchy belts that were harnessing her to the seat. When she first joined the Justice Team, she would do anything to make sure that she was partnered up or training with someone who had the ability to fly – it was her own dream power despite being an animagus.

Miss Martian exhaled slowly. "Okay team – your drop off point is fast approaching… Ready yourselves for the descent. Prepare yourselves for dispatch…"

Kitty's eyes grew wide. "Descent! Isn't the bio-ship going to land and just drop us off?" Her heart began to race – heights were her fear, and flying was not helping it either. The thought of jumping from the bio-ship was making her stomach turn. All she could do was rapidly shake her head.

Nightwing was already strapping a parachute to his back and nodded to Starfire, as if to imply that it was her job to get Kitty to the ground safely. "Raven, you're with me. Miss Martian, drop us when you're ready…"

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head. "Now this is only really a suggestion, but I suppose we could just use the carry box thing… You know, for when you take a cat to the vet."

Kitty growled at him. "Why did you bring that thing?! You know how much I hate it. It's not funny when Jester puts me in there! Even if he's only a kid but still!" In moments, the young teen was blubbing and covering her eyes with her hands.

A hand rested itself on her shoulder. "Come on Kitty, it'll be okay. Me and BB will be right there with you, holding the case. All you need to do is stay calm." Starfire smiled and placed a rogue strand of Kitty's hair behind her ear. "You just need to relax. It's for the team and for the mission."

Kitty shivered, shaking a little. "Okay, but don't watch me shift…" On noticing their expressions, Kitty felt the need to explain. She didn't like people watching her shift into a cat. Part of her felt as though she might think it's okay to just shift into a cat around anyone. It was a hasty generalisation, but she felt better doing it this way. Her mind would sometimes just go into a paranoid hyperdrive – she liked to think of it as just being cautious… "Please?"

Starfire grabbed Beast Boy's shoulders and turned him to face away from Kitty.

A tiny meow signalled that Kitty had become the cat. She had become a brown tabby cat and obediently tucked herself away in the cat basket with a miserable look that made her look more Scottish Fold than tabby cat. The case was lifted up and carried over to the drop off point.

The older girl nodded to Miss Martian who dropped them out of the Bio ship before returning to the Justice Hall.

Beast Boy gripped the leather handle of the case in his talons as his eagle form swooped down through the air towards Raven and Nightwing. He did wonder if he should make the flight gentler for Kitty, but decided against it. This was a little bit of cheeky payback. Eagle Beast Boy caught Raven's eye and he turned his head away, throwing his wings out and gliding through the air effortlessly. He loved being an animal that had the ability to fly, mostly because it took him a long time to master the art of flying.

Suddenly, a tremendous blasting noise echoed through the air. A fireball soared through the air and struck Nightwing's left shoulder. Nightwing screamed out, and his grip tightened on the straps due to the pain. As the fireball continued its course, it caught the canopy of his parachute was burnt and left with a large hold in the side of it. Nightwing's body fell limply through the air, bundling itself up into the remainders of the parachute.

"Nightwing!" Starfire screamed out, racing after him before he crashed into the ground below without discussing a plan of action with the younger heroes.

Another blast echoed and nearly hit Beast Boy, but the shock of another unexpected blast made him accidentally release his claws on the basket. He shrieked a bird call and was left in the air when another fireball nearly hit him. Looking at Raven, he squawked again, as if to ask her to grab the basket that was falling through the air. A black shape released itself from Raven's hands and chased after the falling case

In the fuss to save Kitty, Beast Boy didn't even see the last fireball that slammed into his back and sent him into a dark pit of emptiness, crashing down through the trees.

Out cold…

"Beast Boy!"

 **Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Thank you for checking out this little story, it's going to be a shorter story than my other one, Last of the Superheroes, but I always wanted to let you know that I'm currently in the process of writing an SYOC story for Young Justice and would love some extra submissions!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the existing characters that we know and love of Young Justice, although I do take ownership over the new characters i.e. some of the teammates

 **Chapter 02**

Beast Boy woke up in a heap on a forest floor. His shoulder and back were in agony, and his hands looked as though they had been badly scratched from falling through the forest.

The air was quiet, but Beast Boy knew that this would be short lived as whoever had blasted Beast Boy, Nightwing and the others out of the sky were nearby and probably looking for them now.

Thinking about the others, he slowly sat up and rested against the tree. Nightwing and Raven were first to be dispatched, then it was Starfire and himself with Kitty in the box.

Kitty!

Beast Boy's head whipped back and forth as he looked for any sign of her. The odd call of a wild animal echoed all around, disorientating his senses. Holding his shoulder, Beast Boy stood up slowly, walking into a nearby tree to brace himself. As he rapidly made his way through the forest, hoping to come across one of the other supers.

Not to mention Black Canary was going to kill him if he didn't return with Kitty – ever since she and Green Arrow had a daughter, her maternal instincts had gone through the roof and she was very protective of the younger heroes.

"Oh man I am dead meat either way…" Beast Boy said, shifting into a butterfly and fluttered through the forest unsteadily, trying to weave seamlessly through the tall pine like trees.

Admittedly, he disliked being 'girly' animals like butterflies and fancy birds, but no one was around that would see him, and he liked being a butterfly deep down. After making some headway, he dropped down to the ground and shifted into a wolf – mostly for its tracking abilities. He sniffed the air and inhaled deeply, feeling his lungs fill with the scents that were mingling in the air.

He howled to the moon and whined at the fact that he was alone.

Then he heard a scream followed by a fireball explosion. It signalled exactly where Beast Boy needed to go – clearly it was related to the mission, or at least Beast Boy hoped it was. Why else would there be some massive explosion?

Beast Boy sprang into action, running in the direction of the explosion and smoke. The burning smell flared up in his nose.

He came to a sudden halt when he saw a group of bad guys dragging a girl away. The biggest guy had a grip on her thick ponytail as he pulled her away.

"Bring the weapon!" one guy called from the passenger side of a large jeep. "She's the final piece of our puzzle."

"Let me go!" the girl growled, grappling with the hand that was gripping her hair. "I'm not the one you want!"

The girl was thrown into the back of the jeep and the men piled into another vehicle that was waiting.

"Make sure that there's no evidence left behind, Pyro…" the boss ordered, before tapping the side of the jeep. "Let's move out and reconvene at base. Pyro, if we don't hear from you, we'll send in a dispatch team to get you."

"You got it, boss…" the guy who Beast Boy assumed to be Pyro said before turning towards a pile of wood and glass that must have once been a safe house for the girl – that must have been the mission.

To protect the girl.

Beast Boy instantly knew that Pyro meant he had fire powers – it didn't take a genius to work that one out.

"Yo Pyro!" Beast Boy called out, reverting to his true form. "What about us?"

Pyro smiled in a maniacal way before igniting his fists in flames. "Bring it on, little alien dude!" He swung his fist through the air, like he was punching it and a fireball was sent flying through the air.

Beast Boy somersaulted out of the way and landed unevenly, running around the forest in a loop. "Oh hell no!" He took a risk and shifted into a whale, spewing water out of the blowhole in Pyro's direction.

It was over in a matter of moments, the amount of water had knocked the wind out of Pyro, sending him slamming into a tree and knocked out.

In the moment, Beast Boy recalled being told by Black Canary to initiate a homing beacon that was built into the collar of his superhero suit, and that would send a notification to the team so that they could find one another.

Just as he was about to press the homing beacon tab, he heard coughing from within the safe house remains.

"Oh man…" he sighed, running back to the remains and started to throw some wood planks aside, before realising he needed the strength of a gorilla.

As a gorilla, the job was infinitely easier and I found the source of the coughing in seconds. It was the girl, the same girl he had seen getting dragged off by Pyro's boss.

"What the-?" Beast Boy gasped, gawping at the girl, struggling to figure out how this was all logically possible. "Hey… Hey you… Hello?" He reverted back to being a human and gently lifted her out of the rubble which is when she fought out at him. "Hey- ow!" Beast Boy crashed to the floor, nearly dropping the girl in the process.

Then she was holding a rock, as if she was about to throw it.

"No, no, no!" Beast Boy stammered, holding his hands up. "I'm a friend – I'm here to rescue you." He squinted at her. "Do you speak English?"

She screwed up her face and exhaled sharply. "Of course I speak English- you're not that far from Gotham City…" She stood up and started to walk away from the remains, kicking Pyro's unconscious body on the way. "Don't follow me, martian man…"

Beast Boy frowned at the girl, infuriated at the name calling and the fact that she was clearly a part of the mission where she had to be protected. Rather than face the wrath of Black Canary, Beast Boy shifted into a fly and nestled down into the hood of the girl's jacket as she strode through the woods.

"Hey there kitty, what are you doing out here in the woods all alone?" the girl asked before crouching down next to a clumsy tabby cat that appeared to be very weak. "You're hurt, come here, it's okay- I'm a friend I promise…"

Beast Boy watched through jewelled shaped bug vision as the girl bent down to pick the cat and could have sworn that it was Kitty. Now all she needed to do was find Nightwing, Raven and Starfire and it would all be sorted.

"There, you'll be all better now…" the girl said, smiling as she put the cat back down on the ground, but when the cat didn't disappear, she became nervous. "Go on, scram… Shoo!"

The girl Beast Boy was hitch-hiking on turned to walk away, crunching the vegetation under foot.

"You know, for someone who me and my friends are meant to be protecting, you're actually pretty rude!" Kitty was now standing firm behind them, despite being significantly shorter and younger than the other girl. "And you realise you've got a green fly on your shoulder- that's Beast Boy."

The girl flipped out, swatting at the green fly, before yelping as Beast Boy took form. "You have got to be kidding me! A shapeshifting alien and a cat girl. You're who they sent to protect me? Have you any idea what you're up against!? You don't have a clue and I don't want you to either. Leave me alone or you'll only get hurt."

Beast Boy continued to follow the girl alongside Kitty. "As much as I would really love to leave you to fend for yourself, those guys kidnapped someone who looked identical to you so there's obviously something special about you…"

"They kidnapped the martian girl, Miss Martian- what? Is she like your big sister or something Martian Boy?" She scoffed, quickening her pace a little.

"Stop calling me that, it's Beast Boy!" Beast Boy shouted, getting angry and not even caring about how loud he was being. "Now you will stop walking away from us and come with us! We are here to protect you and you are obviously in demand- and I can't see why… You're obnoxious, rude and so isolated!"

"Well call me Boxham then," the girl taunted bluntly.

 _What kind of a name is Boxham?_ Beast Boy thought, rolling his eyes dramatically.

Kitty pinched the back of my arm and I flinched, nearly striking her. "Stop being mean, you're going to hurt her feelings." She walked ahead, whispering over her shoulder. "Now I know why Raven dumped you."

Beast Boy's nostrils flared up at the mentioning of the downfall of his relationship with Raven. That was a private matter and of all people, to have Kitty poke fun at it was demeaning. The green skinned guy checked his homing device, which was working and obviously sending some kind of signal, hopefully! That's when he started to get the feeling that they were being followed. Like every time he turned around, someone was darting behind a tree – a group perhaps?

"Guys…" he said cautiously, stopping in his tracks.

From where BB had last seen someone hiding, came a pulsating red ring fly towards him. He only just managed to get out of the way himself as he clattered into the ground, trying to avoid getting dirt in his mouth. The youngster opened his mouth to warn the girls, but it was too late.

Kitty was paralysed on the floor, convulsing as the red rings bound her arms to her side.

The girl darted off, running quickly in a zig zag pattern, much to the dismay of Beast Boy who was forced to pick up Kitty and lift her planked body up over his shoulder. He was reminded of the first time she came to the headquarters and she refused to go anywhere with them, so he gave up and threw her over his shoulder into the headquarters – ever since then, she was like his annoying little sister. Beast Boy felt like he had to look out for Kitty, just like Miss Martian had done for him when he was younger. The cycle continued.

He shifted into an albatross and awkwardly tried to navigate the tall, thin trees in pursuit of Boxham girl. The high pitched call nearly made her fall to the floor. What Boxham saw absolutely terrified her, the green toned albatross was her ticket out of the spot of bother she was in, but she was terrified of the thought of flying on an albatross' back.

"Are you insane?" Boxham squealed, ducking out of the way of another red ring pulse.

Beast Boy shrieked again, the bird call echoing in the woods. He tilted at a near vertical angle and felt relieved when Boxham girl gave in and clung to him. As he straightened his wings, he caught the updraft and soared up above the forest into the night sky.

Once they were a safe distance away, Beast Boy landed near another of the Justice League's safehouses. It was a cute little log cabin that was on the outskirt of a campsite for young kids. What better place to hide a kid than in amongst a load of them?

Beast Boy insisted that Boxham help him and Kitty, feeling bad for the way that he had behaved and spoken to Boxham not moments ago. He watched Boxham open the door with a key that was hidden in amongst a beautiful flower arrangement and began to wonder what it was that those bad guys were after.

"I'm sorry Kitty," he mumbled, setting Kitty down on the bed in the side room. When he moved back into the main room, Boxham was standing by the kettle. "I'm sorry, about everything that's happened to you… You can call me Garfield, if you like."

Boxham seemed shocked by Beast Boy's sudden change of heart. "I'd like that, Garfield. But you shouldn't apologise, because it's not your fault that I am what I am." She glanced out of the window. "Do you want a drink?"

Beast Boy shook his head. "I've never been one for hot drinks… So what can I call you?"

"Me neither- I just thought you might want one… Water works for me, and you can call me Carrie. Not that I'll be around long enough to- never mind." Carrie checked on Kitty who was still motionless. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Hopefully…" Beast Boy lifted a floorboard section to reveal a computer tablet that scanned his face as Carrie switched on the old television in the corner. "I'm going to get an extraction for us and then get you back to safety. Wait, why are you crying?"

Carrie sniffled, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her jumper. "I'm not crying, but you don't understand. Because of what I am-" She paused like she didn't know if she really wanted to say what she was about to say. "I am never going to be free because of what I am- because of what I can do… I have to show you, but don't freak…" Without even taking a moment, she pulled out a pen knife from her jacket and dragged the blade over her palm.

"Carrie!" Beast Boy shouted, slapping the pen knife out of her hand and then staring at her palm.

The cut was gone – there was no sign of the fact that Carrie had cut herself in the first place.

She smiled nervously. "You can freak out now- Oh my god… Garfield, look!" Carrie exclaimed, pointing at the screen. "That can't be…"

On the screen was an appeal for their whereabouts. For the whereabouts of two teenagers who were caught stealing things, robbing a bank, trashing a prestigious science lab and a series of other uncanny things. Carrie Boxham and Garfield Logan were criminals on the run – and it didn't even look like the Justice League could help him out of this one when he saw the video footage that clearly showed two figures that looked identical to them doing what the news claimed they had done.

"Any bright ideas, Martian Man?"

 **Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Well I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and review what you thought because I'm intrigued to see where this story goes because I have no idea!**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the existing characters that we know and love of Young Justice, although I do take ownership over the new characters i.e. some of the teammates

A/N: Hope you are enjoying the story, I'd love to know what you're thinking!

 **Chapter 03**

Beast Boy and Carrie Boxham stared at the television where the news was still reeling the report looking for their whereabouts.

"That's not us… That isn't us," Carrie mumbled, squinting at the screen as if it was playing some kind of trick on her. "What do we do now?" She looked over at Beast Boy, trying to feel brave in the seemingly dire situation. "What do we do?" The girl waited for him to respond, but when he didn't, she shook her head. "You don't know what to do, do you? Seriously! You're supposed to have some kind of a plan, you're meant to be a part of the famous Justice League! I can't believe that I am out here with no friends of family and the only person I have to help me is some green skinned fancy boy. Maybe I could just end it all… Oh wait, I can't!"

Beast Boy didn't really know what to say, but smile awkwardly and allow her to vent and let it all out. He thought that it must have been a difficult time for her.

When Carrie finished, she scoffed and stifled some laughter. Looking about the room, she started to wonder what their next move would be. As her mind raced with ideas, she tried to determine which one was the best one.

 _One – we could make our way to an airport and use the last of my emergency money stash to flee the country, but then they'd forever be on the run and neither of us had passports. Two – they could steal or hijack a car, but then I'd only be adding to the list of crimes that had been committed. Three – I could leave the alien boy and kitty cat to keep them out of it all, but Garfield would probably follow me through field and mountain. Four – I could give myself up to the hunters… which leads to five, I give myself up to the police._

 _Maybe…_ Carrie thought her way through the internal monologue, trying to navigate her way back and forth through the turns of her messy thoughts.

"I'm just going outside to grab a bit of fresh air." Carrie didn't wait for a response and stepped out of the cabin.

It was cold and dark outside, apart from the light inside the cabin illuminating the woods and grass in front of the house. The grass was still and there wasn't a breeze in the air. The one thing that was missing was the odd occasional wolf howl or hooting owl to break the eerie silence.

"Can I ask you something?"

The voice startled Carrie and she jerked around to see Beast Boy standing in the doorway. She rolled her eyes and sat down on the top of the three steps, hugging her knees to her chest. Having been on the run from the hunters, she had never stayed in one place long enough to make friends so it was strange to even have some natural human-alien conversations.

"I don't know whether to take your silence as a yes or a no," Beast Boy sighed, slowly and cautiously lowering himself to sit on the top step near Carrie, but not too near. "Well I guess I should apologise about the whole failure of a rescue."

Carrie wrinkled her nose, turning her head to look at Beast Boy. There was a moment where she felt bad about all of the nasty things she had said to him not moments before. "Garfield…" Carried whispered shyly, looking away into the forest.

"Have you always known what you are?"

The girl wondered what her answer was. When she thought about it, her mind was cast back to a moment she knew what she could do. She was eleven years old and climbing trees with her childhood friend, Jesse. Jesse was her neighbour and he had always been like her best friend, until that day. The pair were being silly, climbing trees and larking about when a weak branch snapped under Carrie's foot. She plummeted ten foot through the air and landed with a snap. The snap being her arm breaking – it was almost like her elbow had been slightly inverted. In a panic, Carrie flexed out her arm which inadvertently fixed the break. Jesse freaked out and kept as much distance as neighbours could.

Realising the distance that Carrie's abilities could create, she didn't even realise the tear that was following along the curve of her face. It dropped onto her jeans. She sniffed sharply, wiping her eyes.

"For nearly six years I guess," Carrie murmured. She glanced over at Beast Boy, ready to look away immediately, but couldn't move her gaze when she saw him staring straight back at her. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" She gawked at the green skinned boy.

"Oh- er, no reason. I was trying to think about our next course of action." Beast Boy tried to act confidently and like he knew exactly what to do. "I think we should stay here until Kitty gets better. Then we should find some place safe to go."

"Are you saying that we have no backup at all? No one who can help you?" Carrie leant towards her saviour, eager to hear the answer.

"Well I was sent on this mission with a number of other supers. We were dispatched along with Nightwing, Starfire and Raven in Miss Martian's bioship, but Miss Martian was posing as you when she was taken. I was hoping that we would have come across Nightwing or Starfire by now…"

"I take it you and Raven have history?"

Beast Boy made an awkward squeaking sound as he fumbled to pick the right words. "Oh well- I guess you could say that." Knowing that Carrie was already seeing straight through him, he exhaled long and deep. "Me and Raven might have dated in the past. How did you-"

"Lucky guess… You didn't want to run into her now, so I assumed that there must have been a reason behind it and that seemed logical."

The pair's faces were no more than a few inches apart. Carrie was sure her head was tilting slightly to one side and she couldn't help but let her gaze drift between the green boy's eyes and lips. When she realised what might happen, she looked away obviously.

"I need to go for a walk. Don't worry, I'm not going too far. And don't use your fly trick to track me."

Beast Boy wanted to argue, but she was so stubborn that he knew it would be pointless. He watched her walk around the corner of the lodge. His ears pricked when he heard movement inside the cabin.

"Beast Boy?" Kitty called out panicked. "Beast Boy!"

Once again, Beast Boy was caught between whether to follow the target or to check in on Kitty.

"Kitty, it's fine. It's okay, I'm here." Beast Boy stood in the doorway. "Just rest and I'll let you know what we're going to do in the morning."

"Where's Carrie?" Kitty asked, slowly sitting up with a pained grimace plastered on her face. "She's not very grateful about the fact that we saved her."

"I know, I know." Beast Boy pursed his lips, breathing in the sweet pine wood smell. "Kitty. I need you to do me a huge favour. Can you do that for me?"

Kitty leapt towards him, nearly tripping into him. "Of course. Anything for my best friend, BB!" she squealed enthusiastically.

"Okay, but don't panic. Me and Carrie are being framed for armed robbery or something, so the Justice League will be trying to initiate some kind of protocol to save us any harm. I need you to use your power, get to the Justice Hall and tell them our situation. If you leave now, you won't be so easily detected and won't stand out like a sore thumb."

Kitty's face shifted expressions multiple times. "You want me to go away- to leave you?"

"I need you to, Kitty. Please." Beast Boy allowed the younger girl to squeeze him in the tightest of embraces before she morphed into a cat and leapt down the stairs to start her journey. The little feline glanced over at him with folded ears before springing into action and disappearing into the forest.

"Why'd you send her away?"

Beast Boy nearly fell down the stairs at the shock of Raven's voice. He looked up and gave her an embarrassed smile.

"Oh hey Raven, how are you doing?"

"Enough!" she snapped, before raising her hand. "You couldn't even keep the target within a cabin lodge, so I thought I'd help out." Raven clicked her fingers.

Out of the forest, entrapped in a dark and cloudy bubble, was Carrie. She was throwing her fists at the bubble in a fight to escape.

"I'm not letting her out Beast Boy." Raven folded her arms and started to take control. "We need to find the bio-ship. Miss Martian's beacon was activated and she's miles away now. Once we find the bio-ship, we can get you to the Justice Hall undetected. The bio-ship is the only way to get you through now that you two decided to play cops and robbers."

Beast Boy wanted to respond, but he knew it was bound to spark an argument between them.

Raven started to float away, taking the trapped Carrie with her. "You should stop fighting. I'm stronger than you and won't tire. Come on Beast Boy."

Carrie stuffed her hand into her pocket and pulled out the army knife. "Let me out." Her voice was echoed and dulled from within the bubble. "Let me out or I'll cut myself!"

Raven tutted, annoyed at the girl's ignorance.

Beast Boy, on the other hand, revelled in the situation. "You don't want to hand her over to the Justice League with an injury, do you Raven?" he said exaggeratedly.

The black bubble disappeared, causing Carrie to drop to the floor. She grunted before climbing back up to her feet. Carrie walked silently alongside Raven, listening carefully to any possible noise that would indicate trouble. For a while it was silent, until Raven stuck her arm out in front of Carrie who protested at first before falling silent to listen.

"Watch out!" Beast Boy shouted harshly, his voice cracking, unsure of what he was seeing.

An arrow shot out from the depths of the forest and whistled through the air straight for Carrie. Beast Boy didn't have time to react, but Carrie did. From where she was standing, the arrow was sure to hit Raven so she shoved the floating superhero hard, before being struck in the shoulder just below her collar bone. Carrie fell to the floor with a grunt and screamed through her teeth in pain, trying not to panic at the arrow that was now sticking into her.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted, throwing a black shade from her hands which took form of a black bird. With a swipe of her hands, the bird soared through the air in the direction of the arrow. "Get her out of here!"

"What about you?" Beast Boy asked hurriedly, scuttling towards Carrie's body as random arrows occasionally shot through the air.

"Just go!" Raven shouted harshly, keeping her attention on finding the person who was watching them.

Beast Boy scooped up Carrie in his arms, trying not to disturb the arrow. _Oh man, Black Canary is going to kill me!_ He thought as he tried to steadily run through the forest. Blood was oozing out of the puncture and staining Carrie's jumper.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed an old tree trunk where the roots forged an accidental shelter. It seemed like a safe place to wait for Raven. He felt a pang of pain whenever Carrie cried out. Lowering her down to the ground, he wished that it could have been daylight so that he had more light to investigate the damage done. Instinctively, he shifted his form into a snowy owl in the hope that its vision would help. The vision was not how Beast Boy thought it would be, but it allowed him to see the damage done to Carrie, whose hands were also trying to trace the damage in the darkness. Her fingers glistened with blood.

"Garfield… I need you to pull the arrow out," she whimpered helplessly, the odd tear streaming down her face.

Beast Boy reverted back to his original form and nodded before remembering the darkness. "Yeah?" he replied hesitantly.

"I can't do it whilst the arrow is still in me. I need you to take it out."

"Take it out! Are you crazy?" he snapped, gritting his teeth and wincing at the thought of pulling the arrow out. "If you're sure…"

"Please pull it out quickly and- Ahhhh!" Carrie screamed as Beast Boy had already yanked the arrow out and tossed it aside in disgust as the blood dripped onto his hands. "You did it. You did it!" Carrie smiled moments later, throwing her arms around him in a gentle embrace.

"Surprise!"

A bright white light shone in Carrie's eyes and she backed away, further into the roots. As Beast Boy turned to look, he brought his hand up to see if he could see who was behind the bright light.

"Oh no…" he mumbled.

"Oh yes- isn't this delightful!" cackled the voice, clearly revelling in the fact that they had caught Beast Boy and the girl. "The girl and her green skinned boy. Uppercut, take the girl."

"Right Metallica," grunted a tall, stocky henchman who lurched forwards and grabbed Carrie's wrist to fling her over his shoulder.

Beast Boy protested, going to throw a punch or two, but Uppercut swung his space fist through the air connecting with Beast Boy's face.

Carrie screamed and kicked against Uppercut, but he only tightened his grip on her. "Beast Boy!" she shouted as the green boy slumped down against the tree.

He was out cold and had no memory of the next half an hour as he lay unconscious in the dirt.

Until his team leader found him. Nightwing and Starfire had found each other in the forest in the aftermath of the attack. They were tracking Raven, Beast Boy and Kitty with the homing beacons that had been sewn into their suits.

"Beast Boy!" Nightwing called out when he saw the boy's body in the early morning sun. "Starfire, over here." He signalled the other adult super over to the hollowed out tree trunk. "Beast Boy- Beast Boy, can you hear me?" Nightwing opened up a compartment in his belt and took a small syringe out, mumbling that it was time to test the new device out. He jammed it into the side of Beast Boy's arm and the green boy bolted upright.

"Carrie!" Beast Boy yelled, trying to leap up but being restrained by Nightwing as Starfire checked him over for injuries. "Let me go, I'm fine!" he grunted strongly.

"Calm down Beast Boy, tell us what is happened." Starfire stopped Nightwing from doing the talking, knowing that he would only frustrate the younger boy. "Take your time."

Beast Boy buried his head in his hands, feeling desperation coursing through his veins. "Black Canary is going to kill me, isn't she?"

Starfire placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder, squeezing it in a reassuring manner. "She'll understand B-B. It could have happened to any of us. What we need to do now is find Raven and Kitty and reconvene back at base to plan our next move. Miss Martian managed to escape from Metallica- he's been after the target-"

"Carrie, her name is Carrie."

Starfire and Nightwing exchanged a look that said 'well, well…'

"Yes… Carrie." Starfire nodded. "He wants her, but we're not quite sure why. Whatever it is she can do, you can bet it's incredibly special and valuable."

"She's valuable alright," Beast Boy sighed, feeling the urgency of the situation and the desire to just scream out in agitation. "We have to get her back."

"We will, Beast Boy. We will." Nightwing smirked behind his black mask with narrow eyes. "Don't you worry, I might have a plan."

 **Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = There you have it! Another chapter down and dusted – what do you think of the story so far? Don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the existing characters that we know and love of Young Justice, although I do take ownership over the new characters i.e. some of the teammates

A/N: Hope you are enjoying the story, I'd love to know what you're thinking!

 **Chapter 04**

Carrie came to lying on a metal bed – like an autopsy slab in the morgue. The cold steel could be felt through her clothes and she shivered as she tried to sit up, but her arms were restrained. Metal bands were clamped around her wrists but a little loosely. She smiled and winced at the same time, knowing what she would have to do in order to escape Metallica's grips.

As she looked down, she noticed that she was no longer wearing her own clothes, but a hospital like gown. She winced at the thought of having someone change her clothes, but it only made her desire to escape grow stronger.

"Okay, here we go."

She jerked her wrists, pressing her thumb to the cuff, waiting for the crack. It took a while to make it work, but when her thumbs broke, she scrunched her face up in pain. With broken thumbs, it was enough room to get out of the restraints, but it was resetting her thumbs that really made Carrie growled.

"Right Carrie, let's get you out of here…"

The room was long and narrow, with a couple of other metal slabs. The first one had rope restraints, and the next on had leather belts for restraints. Then it was the slab she had just gotten off of.

"I've escaped all of those times… I will escape this time."

Carrie scanned the room, a cold shiver ran down her spine when she began to realise that it looked like a real morgue on the crime shows that her parents would obsess over.

When she thought about how she was going to get out, she remembered the previous methods she had used to get out of Metallica's hideout. The air vents would be useless because of Metallica's ability to manipulate metal. Basically there was an abundance of metal in Metallica's hideouts purely for the fact that it meant that escape would be hard for anyone.

 _Miss Martian… That's right, Garfield mentioned her earlier… She is a telepath… Miss Martian… Miss Martian, can you hear me?_ Carrie expressed these inner thoughts, pressing her fingers to her temples like it helped amplify the thoughts. _This is useless!_

Carrie tried the door handle, but it was locked tight.

"Figures…"

Then she heard a voice in her head. _Is that you? You're the target, right?…_

"Target? Who you calling a target?"

 _Look, I don't know how this is going to work, but the team I'm a part of will be able on their way here. In the meantime, stay put and we will get you out of here. If I hear from them, I'll let you know. I'm Miss Martian by the way._

Carrie knew there was no way she was going to just say put and slammed her fist through the glass window in the door. Knowing that she would heal herself meant that she wasn't holding back the force. It was a strange, innate theory, but Carrie was used to it now.

 _Target- what are you doing?_

Rolling her eyes, Carrie reached through the hole and unlocked the door to let herself out. Out on the corridor, she noticed a couple of glass shards sticking out of her knuckles that she shook off, leaving the tiny bloodied shards on the floor.

Breaking out into a jog, Carrie ran down the bright white corridors. It was silent and cold, but all to Metallica's preferences. She knew that it would only be a matter of time before she would find her way out of the secret lair, she pressed on running.

Then she heard the alarms. A high pitched ringing could be heard and red flashing lights illuminated the seemingly plain corridors.

 _Target – what are you doing?!_

 _Miss Martian, I'm getting out of here, so get out of my head._

Carrie turned a bend and then heard a group of soldiers coming out to search for her. Without even thinking, she went through a large silver door and spun the wheel to lock it. Pressing herself to the door, Carrie listened. The flurry of footsteps passing by showed her that enough time had passed. When she went to turn the wheel and open the door, she was sent into a panic when she couldn't open it.

"No!" Carrie snapped, kicking the door aggressively. _Okay Miss Martian, I'm locked in a vault now… I'm going to wait here until you guys sort this out…_

Storming into Metallica's base, Beast Boy was eager to get Carrie out and safely in the Justice Hall. Nightwing and Starfire had devised a plan to get Carrie, and also Miss Martian, out of Metallica's grasp.

Nightwing had been conversing with Miss Martian telepathically – he knew exactly where she was. He was running towards the side of the base when he received a last minute update from Miss Martian.

"You have got to be kidding me…" he mumbled, within earshot of Beast Boy.

"What is it, Nightwing?" Beast Boy grabbed the older guy's arm.

"Well it seems that the target has decided to lock herself into a vault. Let's hope that we can get her out." Nightwing opened up an electronic device, mounting it onto the wall and attempting to infiltrate the systems. "I'll download the floorplans and see what Metallica has in store for us."

Starfire peered at the device's screen. "Hopefully we can get it to pick up heat signatures and see where they all are." She looked around. "Nightwing, where did Beast Boy go?"

The pair looked around, jerking their heads from side to side to check for their green skinned friend. Their green friend was minutely small to the naked eye, but he had chosen to go solo and help in his own way.

Beast Boy in his fly form was gliding deeper and deeper into the base, wondering where Carrie was. It was his fault that she got caught in the first place, so he knew that he needed to do what it takes to get her out.

"Oh god- oh boy. Oh man, where is she?"

 _Beast Boy?_

"Miss Martian?" Beast Boy squeaked, instantly knowing who the voice belonged to. "Where are you?"

 _In some kind of prison compartment, but you need to get to Carrie. She's trapped in what I think is a freezer chamber…_

Beast Boy knew that it was useless being a fly in such a vast base, so he shifted back into his human form. It was refreshing to stretch out, but he barely had time to make up his mind over which way to go when he heard some of Metallica's henchmen on patrol. He hid in a small alcove as they passed by quickly, listening to them talking about the target.

"Here we go…" Beast Boy shuffled along the corridor in a bent over crouch like it would make a difference over whether he was detected or not. "Not over here…"

"Green boy!"

The voice startled Beast Boy and he thought for a moment that he had been caught. But there was no one around on the corridor. As he looked around properly, he noticed a frosted window in a metal door.

"Carrie?" he asked, moving close to the window, squinting to look through the tiny window.

A hand slapped against the window, dragging up the body of its owner. It was a pale and frail looking Carrie.

"Carrie! What happened- what are you doing?" Beast Boy gawped at her, flinching at the cold metal of the door. "I got to get help – Nightwing will be able to hack the mainframe or something… Or Starfire can bust the door open…"

He was jittery and went to leave, but Carrie called out to him.

"Don't go!"

"Carrie – I have to go… We have to get you out of here before Metallica experiments on you!"

"Experiments? Metallica doesn't want to experiment on me- he wants to kill me, take my powers if he can." Carrie's face quivered, her teeth chattering uncontrollably. "I'm- I'm, s-s-so cold."

"I'll find a way in there, I promise." Beast Boy morphed into the smallest creature he could think of – a little flea. He crawled through into the ventilation, and followed the cold steam until he could slip into the freezer chamber.

Carrie was slumped down in the corner, shivering. Her arms hugged her bent legs and pulled them close to her chest. The hospital like gown she was wearing clung to her and looked damp from the dropping temperature.

"Carrie!" Beast Boy yelped, shifting out of his flea form and crawling towards her. He patted her face gently, hoping to get a response. "Carrie, come on- stay with me… Wake up…" Despite having only been in the freezer chamber a minute, Beast Boy was already starting to feel the effects of the cold temperature. "Carrie!"

Her eyelids fluttered gently. "Garfield? What- what are you doin' here?" she grumbled drowsily, unaware of what was really going on. "You… You sure made an entrance…"

Tiny frost like particles were forming on her brows and lips as she tried so hard to focus on Beast Boy's emerald green eyes. Her hand flopped over and hung onto his shoulder.

"Stay awake Carrie…" Beast Boy reminded her, sitting down beside her.

"Cold," she mumbled and that was all she could muster up.

Beast Boy closed his eyes, going through his internal encyclopaedia of animals that he could shift into. He hoped for something big and was also furry and able to cope in freezing temperatures.

"I'll take care of-" Beast Boy channelled his inner body and took on the form of a green polar bear. He nuzzled Carrie's arm with his new snout, encouraging her to get closer. Staying where he was, he waited calmly for Carrie to move closely.

Eventually, she gave in, knotting her fingers into the green fur. At times, Beast Boy had to hold back flinching when a sharp tug followed. He waited and watched for each cloudy puff of breath that left Carrie, showing that she was still hanging on.

"Thanks B-B-boy…" Carrie whispered, trying to hold her head up. "I'm sorry for being- I li-"

 _Wait! Sorry for what? What?_ Beast Boy thought, realising that she didn't have too long and needed to warm up quickly. He awkwardly pulled her in closer, almost encasing his furry flank around her.

 _Miss Martian, I know you can hear me, but I'm running out of time, no. Carrie- the target, we're trapped and we need help… I don't even know how long I can hold out for…_ Beast Boy paused, waiting for a response in his head. _Miss Martian?_

Feeling defeated, polar bear Beast Boy dropped his head onto his front paws, listening to Carrie's uneven breathing. The temperature was still dropping lower and lower…

Nightwing and Starfire had broken Miss Martian out of her prison cell. They were racing through the corridors as Miss Martian brought them up to speed on what Metallica's intentions were with the target.

"The target – she's got a power that Metallica clearly wants to harness. Metallica may be new to the villainous scene, but he is not to be underestimated. His henchman Uppercut has helped him chase her across the country. Apparently the target has escaped Metallica's grasp at least three times, and that has really forced him to up his efforts to entrap her." Miss Martian stopped Nightwing from rounding a corner. "I don't wish to snoopy in on B.B's thoughts but I think you should talk to him once all of this is over…"

"What?" Nightwing asked. "Come on Miss Martian, now is not really the time to speak in riddles."

Starfire placed a hand on Nightwing's shoulder. "Maybe she is right. Let's get them out of this though."

Miss Martian pressed a finger to her temple, searching for Beast Boy and their target when she received a sudden call for help from him. "They need us quickly- he can't find her heartbeat… This way!"

The trio ran, turning left and then right. It all seemed too easy, until they were hit by a stun ray from behind. Their bodies went into a spasm and they collapsed to the floor.

Nightwing's vision went blurry and he was sure he saw a little tabby cat run past behind Metallica's henchman. The pain of the ray made him arch his back, grunting and growling as if it helped to alleviate the pain.

"Why hello there, you must be the little birdie I've heard so much about. We have something to talk about. So why don't you come with me and we'll have a nice chat? Oh, I'm Metallica, I'm sure Miss Martian has given you the low down on me so far, but I'm a nice guy really."

A patent white Cuban heel rolled Nightwing onto his back, allowing him to taken in the man called Metallica. Crippled, Nightwing pulled himself off the floor, shaking a lot as he tried to steady himself against a nearby wall. He lunged clumsily at Metallica, who simply sidestepped the advance.

"Oh dear, we are going to have to teach you some manners now… Come along Nightwing, otherwise your little team might not make it to see tomorrow."

Metallica took Nightwing, Miss Martian and Starfire to a small control room. He strode back and forth in front of them. Uppercut was looming in the shadows, there to make sure that none of them got the wrong idea.

"Now now, let's be rational- we all know that I want the girl and we all know that you want to skip off into the sunset. Ideally with her, but I saw her first!"

Starfire narrowed her eyes at him. "She is not a toy- she's a human being just the same as you and me."

"Oh do be quiet, I cannot stand you."

A sideways look from Nightwing told Starfire to leave it to him. Ever since they had known each other, they had a connection that meant that they could tell what they were thinking from a single look.

"Oi!" Uppercut shrieked, looking behind a stack of crates.

"Uppercut, what are you doing?!" Metallica shouted angrily, scrunching his fists up. "Stop that right now!"

"Sorry boss, but there was this cat…" Uppercut ignored Metallica, searching for this mysterious cat. "It scratched me."

"Leave it Uppercut!" bellowed Metallica, swiping his hand through the air in a horizontal movement, dispersing the boxes. "There- no cat!" He was panting, anger clearly had been building and waiting to explode in him.

As if out of nowhere, a large black and misty shadow tore through the warehouse, knocking Metallica off his feet. Uppercut was about to slam a fist into another shadowy bird when it passed straight through him – throwing the great brute against the wall.

"Thought you could use some additional help…"

Nightwing turned to see Raven floating down towards them. "I told you to go to the Justice Hall!"

"Well you told Beast Boy to stick to the plan, and look where that got you!" Raven snapped back. Without warning, she threw another raven shaped shadow at Metallica, pinning him to the ground and making him scream out. "What? He was going to try and escape – and I thought you guys were meant to be experienced…"

Miss Martian pushed herself between Nightwing and the younger girl. "This isn't helping- we need to get to Beast Boy and the target now."

Raven rolled her eyes. "I got that covered. Kitty insisted on helping and-"

Nightwing's eyes narrowed. "You got Kitty involved as well! I gave you an order, Raven- you're meant to be a part of the Justice Team."

"Well the mechanics on the freezer will hopefully be overwritten – so as long as they can drag themselves out of the chamber, it'll be fine."

Nightwing pushed Raven aside and raced through the base, shouting at Starfire to secure Metallica and Uppercut. He navigated the corridors and nearly slipped on a puddle. The puddle did however act as a signal for where the target and Beast Boy were. He crawled to the now open metal door where, when he looked in, he saw two unconscious bodies. Beast Boy had his arms wrapped around a girl who was slumped into his chest. The adrenaline in Nightwing kicked in and he dragged Beast Boy out before going in to get the girl- the target.

The pulse was barely there on Beast Boy so as soon as he started the compressions, he radioed the Justice Hall to send a medivac as soon as possible.

"Come on Garfield," Nightwing urged the younger boy to wake up. "Come on!"

Beast Boy convulsed and spluttered, gasping for air. He rolled onto his side, panicking when he saw Carrie. "Carrie!" He felt for the girl's pulse and felt nothing. Feeling so weak, he fell back with an aching pain in his chest. "Save her… we need her…"

"So we're on a first name basis then?..." Nightwing joked before starting compressions. "Normally I let to introduce myself before getting this personal."

Beast Boy lifted his head off the floor. "I saw first…" he moaned softly.

Carrie's eyes shot open just as Nightwing was about to start mouth to mouth. "Woah!" she squeaked, trying to stifle the coughs. "That's a bit forward, isn't it?" She shivered violently, pulling herself up to her feet. "Ah- oh god. I forgot how much temperature affects me…"

Beast Boy watched helplessly as Carrie tried to walk away. Her legs shook with every step. Nightwing pulled the younger boy onto his feet and started to help him down the corridor. A peculiar smell hit Beast Boy's nostrils.

"Gas."

Nightwing tried to haul Beast Boy down the corridor at a quicker rate, but he was never going to get them all out. He immediately warned Miss Martian. _Gas leak, get out!_

Carrie turned to look at Nightwing, her eyes looking tired. "You can't protect me…"

"What?" Nightwing grumbled.

Then came the explosion. It threw the three through the air as a tornado of fire soared through the corridor, turning the metal into an oven. Some of the ceiling and walls had been ripped apart in the blast.

Nightwing opened his eyes and recoiled at what he was seeing. "Carrie?"

Only a few metres down the corridor and pressed against the wall was her limp body with a metal spike piercing her side through and through.

Grimacing through the pain, Carrie noticed him watching her and weakly shouted. "Don't panic…"

 **Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = No! Just when you thought they were out of the woods! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the existing characters that we know and love of Young Justice, although I do take ownership over the new characters i.e. some of the teammates

A/N: Hope you are enjoying the story, I'd love to know what you're thinking!

 **Chapter 05**

Carrie winced at the metal spike that was embedded in her side. Her blue eyes found Nightwing's and she tried to steady her breathing. "I need you to get out of here now… The building isn't safe and you need to protect yourselves. All of you go!"

Nightwing shook his head. "We're not leaving you. You are the target, and the Justice League has been sent to protect you. That is what we are going to do."

"No! Get out of here now, whilst you still can!" she screamed insistently. "Please!"

Beside them, loose wires were sparking and lighting a fire that was growing. Carrie screamed as she pulled the metal spike from her side.

Beast Boy grabbed Nightwing. "Come on, we have to go. I know you don't want to, but you need to trust Carrie- she knows what she's doing but I cannot explain it to you. I just can't!" When the green boy could see that his superior was not going to be easily swayed, he swung a clenched fist through the air and it connected it Nightwing's cheek. "I'm sorry, but you weren't listening." He pulled on the older man's arm and dragged him away from Carrie.

The pair dodged the electricity and bursts of flames and just as they were about to burst out of the building's main doors, there was an almighty explosion. An explosion that was far bigger than the previous one that had maimed Carrie. It flung the two through the air as if they were rag dolls that weighed next to nothing.

Beast Boy slammed into the steps and tumbled down them as the windows shatters and rained shards of glass down on them. His body ached from bruises and cuts. When he came to a stop at the foot of the stairs, he opened his eyes to see a billowing black cloud of smoke. Sitting up, Beast Boy realised that there was no longer a building where it once was.

"No!" he screamed with a cracking voice.

"Stand down, sir!" a voice called out from behind him. "Hands in the air!"

Beast Boy obligingly raised his hands and interlocked his fingers behind his head.

"Turn around- where is your accomplice to the theft, young man?"

Beast Boy turned around to see Police Commissioner James Gordon holding his gun up, flanked by a number of police officers of Gotham. He felt his heart drop as he remembered that Kitty clearly hadn't made it to the Justice League to warn them that it wasn't really Beast Boy. There was no other option but to allow the commissioner to take him into the station for questioning. The main problem would obviously be the fact that he would be denying everything and telling the truth at the same time – much to Gordon's predictable annoyance.

"I asked you a question, son… Where is your accomplice- the young lady you were seen with?" Gordon asked, ordering a fellow officer to cuff Beast Boy.

The young hero glanced over at Nightwing who was being helped to his feet by Starfire and gave them a pleading look.

Starfire led Nightwing towards Gordon. "Mr Gordon- my name is Starfire. You must be mistaken. Beast Boy would never the things you are accusing him of. Allow me to take him into the custody of the Hall of Justice. The Justice League can then decide what punishment seems fit for him-"

Gordon lifted his other hand up to stop Starfire from talking further. "I've heard enough, Missy… but we have laws that need to be followed and adhered to. Greeny broke a rule and now he has to face the consequences. Bring him in boys." Gordon opened the passenger door and before stepping in, he leaned over the door. "Oh- and you should probably send a parent of guardian to the station… Just in case."

Starfire gawped at Beast Boy being forced into the police car. "We'll work something out Beast Boy, I promise!"

Beast Boy momentarily fought against the policemen holding him. "Forget about me- protect the target from Metallica!"

"Metallica? Nightwing- he's still in there. We must move quickly!" Starfire tried to haul Nightwing away, but he grunted loudly in pain. "Nightwing- are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Starfire… I just took a beating." Nightwing looked up to see the police car driving off with Beast Boy staring out of the window. "Hopefully Beast Boy will respect the new rules that the Justice League will have in place. Never use your powers in the police station… Even if that was really a rule solely for him, it would be beneficial if he took the advice."

"Right…" Starfire said slowly, wondering what delirious nothingness Nightwing was spouting out. "Beast Boy will be okay, Nightwing. Don't worry."

Over Starfire's shoulder, Miss Martian was staggering over the rubble. "Where's the target?" she gasped heavily, panting and out of breathe from climbing out from underneath everything that was crushing her. "Starfire, Nightwing- where is the target?"

Nightwing stood up tall, trying not to squirm at the crushing feeling inside. "The target got trapped in the building… We got to get her out of there now!" he replied feebly, trying to explore the rubble but collapsing with exhaustion.

Starfire grabbed him. "Stop. You're too weak." She forced him to sit down on the ground. "Me and Miss Martian will explore the remains for her. If she's still here, that's where she'll be."

Starfire and Miss Martian kicked off the ground and into the air. Flying high above where the building one stood, Starfire waited for Miss Martian to lift as much of the blocks and debris as she could. With large remains of walls and bent metal sheets in the air, Miss Marian scanned the site for any sign of Carrie. Starfire's emerald eyes widened when she noticed a small body hidden beneath a large panel.

"Kitty!" Starfire called out, startling Miss Martian who threw the debris aside. "Kitty!" Starfire grabbed the panel and lifted it up above her, throwing it to one side. "Come on Kitty, not today…" She picked up the teenager's limp body, shaking it gently. "Miss Martian, Kitty needs medical attention. She's weak- her pulse is barely detectable."

Miss Martian nodded slowly. "Take her. I will search the rest of the wreckage. If the target is still here, I will find her."

Nightwing watched as Starfire took Kitty to safety and Miss Martian frantically tore the place apart, throwing everything to various sides in an effort to show where the target could be.

 _She's not there, is she Miss Martian?_ Nightwing thought, talking to Miss Martian with his thoughts because he knew and could see from the look on her face that she would not be listening.

 _I will find her…_ Miss Martian responded, slowly drifting down to the ground for she was losing a little bit more of her power. She grunted as she moved another slab of wall aside before she was forced to collapse on the floor.

Nightwing struggled over to Miss Martian. "You need to take a breather. Just sit back and relax, if only for a moment. We will find the target. There's something about her that is super important- so let's hope that she is capable of getting out of this alive."

The green alien shook her head, shoulders sharply rising with each breath. "No- I heard your thoughts. She was bleeding so much…"

"Well, she did have a metal pike through her stomach before the explosion that destroyed this place."

"Then there's no way she could be alive, Nightwing. No one can have an open wound through their body and live to tell the tale. You know that!" Miss Martian felt the anger bubbling up inside her from feeling as though the mission had failed. "No one can survive that- even if all the doctors and aliens were working on a cure to save her, they wouldn't stand a chance."

A loud scream filled the air and alerted the pair that someone else was nearby. Inhaling sharply, Nightwing threw himself up a small mound of rubble and leaned over to look at the rest of remains.

"Oh my god- Miss Martian, quickly!" he called over his shoulder before rolling down the other side of the slope to where the target was lying down. "Hey, hey, hey…"

Carrie's gaze was blurry as she dropped a bloody metal bar from her hands. Her head rolled around dizzily, her hands lashed out to clumsily hit Nightwing's chest. "Get away from me…" she mumbled weakly.

Nightwing's gaze dropped down to Carrie's side and he could not believe what he was seeing. "You?"

In the wound, it looked like the exposed flesh was mending itself. Multiplying and growing across the hole so much so that Nightwing didn't hear her screaming out in pain.

"She can heal…" Miss Martian said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "No one Metallica wants her. She'd be priceless on a villainous black market."

"Carrie? Can you hear me?" Nightwing patted the side of her side, leaning forwards to listen to her breathing.

The target spluttered, nearly head butting the leader in the process. "What did I say about getting to know a guy before I kiss him?"

"Don't let Starfire hear you say that…"

Carrie bolted upright, squirming uncomfortably from having just healed a hole in her body. "Where's everyone?"

"Is there not a certain someone that you want to specifically ask about?" Nightwing taunted, leaning back against the ground and raising his wrist to radio Aqualad. "Aqualad… Mission update- target acquired and secured. You're going to want to see somethings when we get to the Hall of Justice…"

Aqualad's voice echoed from the communications device. "It's good to hear your voice, Nightwing, but we've got bigger fish to fry. The police patrol car that was transporting Beast Boy to the station has been attacked by Uppercut. BB's gone. Report back to the hall and bring the target. Avoid the roads in case there are any bounty hunters after the target."

"We'll find the bio-ship." Nightwing pulled himself up to his feet.

Once the group found the bio-ship, Miss Martian piloted it back to the Hall of Justice under the cloaking device. Carrie seemed nervous as Nightwing and Miss Martian led her towards the briefing room. Just before the went in, Carrie asked Nightwing to stop.

"Go on Miss Martian, we'll meet you in there…" Nightwing paused, turning to face Carrie. "What's wrong?"

"You're weak. You're exhausted. Let me help you." Carrie held her hands out, palms up, to him. "It'll be okay."

"Are you sure?" Nightwing seemed hesitant.

"It's worth it. You saved my life." Carrie tried to smile encouragingly. "Trust me." She moved her hands forwards, taking a firm hold of one of his hands.

Nightwing felt an immense power flowing through his hand and into his body. Within seconds, he felt energised. "Woah. You really are a healer."

"Healer and a stem cell body- that's me…" Carrie sighed. "I want to help people, but if people ever understand the true extent of what I can do, I'll-" A lump in her throat was growing as Carrie fought the tears back.

Nightwing comforted the girl. "You might feel like you'll never be safe, but that's different now. The Justice League is your new family now. We will protect you."

"I can't let you do that all the time though." Carrie walked past Nightwing and into the briefing room where she marched towards Aqualad. "You must be Aqualad… My name is Carrie Boxham- I believe that you are looking for me. I have also been known as the target," she explained calmly. "Metallica's taken Beast Boy. We need to do whatever we can to get him back. He saved my life. I owe him that much."

Aqualad smiled. "You were right about her Nightwing. But yes Carrie Boxham, we all owe Beast Boy a great deal." He went over to a computer panel. "Metallica has sent us a message. Have a listen."

With a click of a button, Metallica appeared on the screen. He was sat in a large chair and in the background, Beast Boy had been chained with his arms above his head. Blood was hanging dried on the end of his nose and upper lip.

"Greeting my dear little stem cell – you really have upset me now. We had an agreement and you broke that when you tried to escape." Metallica glanced at his watch. "I will give you a choice. If you are willing to give yourself up to me, I will perhaps give your friend behind me his safety. Remember that time is of the essence. Oh come now- don't be upset, I won't heard your little friend _that_ much… You have until sundown today to make your move…"

 **Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Well it is hard to come up with more words that mean rubble etc… This chapter may have been a little ropey but I hope you are enjoying the story so far**


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